A Leap of Faith
by Harford14
Summary: Andrew led a life without direction, until his newfound friends Leo and Calypso crashed and took him under their wing. This story takes place immediately after BoO
1. Chapter 1

"Calypso"

"Hmm?"

"Your hair is on fire"

"Wha-? LEO" She squeaked as Leo and I put the flame out with napkins.

"Ah! Whoops. I just thought- you know, you're so hot that maybe you'd want to be . . ." He decided not to finish that thought.

"This is like the fourth time today! And it's only noon!" His girlfriend exclaimed. _They certainly aren't a typical couple_ I thought to myself, stifling my laughter. Unfortunately, I must not have done a good enough job at concealing my enjoyment in their adorable argument. "Yeah. Hilarious." She snapped at me with more than a tad of a sassy tone.

"Come on Callie, if Valdez set my hair on fire you would laugh." I ventured

"No I would not." She stated, carrying on with her shunning of my behavior. "And please, Callie sounds like a silly adolescent, I am a woman and my name is Calypso." Well she sure is a woman, there is no denying that. From her immaculate braid to her golden complexion, Leo Valdez could definitely pick 'em.

"My apologies _Calypso_" I said with a tinge of playful resentfulness, "Why are we here again?" I asked.

"Well I may or may not have been resurrected after exploding last week and I don't feel like traveling." He began, "So my friends have graciously allowed us to wait for them in this gods forsaken place."

"So-"

"-Oh! And I'm taking you to camp so we can find out your godly parent" He blurted with sudden remembrance. My apologies to those reading, I haven't filled you in on what is going on in my life. So my name is Andrew Roberts and I'm an orphan. Throughout my life I have been in and out of foster homes, schools, and friendships.

About a week ago, I was on a creek bank behind my school, fishing like I always do on Fridays. As I was reeling in, a massive mechanical dragon carrying a frantic Hispanic guy and a petrified beautiful girl- Leo and Calypso – crashed onto the ground in the open field across the stream. I hopped over the water to see what the heck was going on. "Howdy do mortal?" Leo sprung up and inquired

"Uh . . . You guys just-"

"Yes, we did. I apologize for disturbing you and your fish, please go away now." He said, obviously annoyed. Then Calypso leaned in and whispered something to him. His eyes widened and then narrowed quickly as he turned back to look at me. "On second thought . . . How would you like to join us on our little adventure?"

"Uh . . . I-"

"I'll take that as a yes!" Leo shouted triumphantly. Being in between homes at the moment, on my second month of a new school and nothing to my name but a fishing pole, two bucks, and a change of clothes I figured I would look into this opportunity. They explained to me that he was a demigod and she was a goddess, and he had just saved the world. You know, just normal dragon-riding folk traveling around together. I was skeptical- of course -until Leo set his hands ablaze and some invisible servants brought Calypso her suitcases.

That night, Leo bought a hotel room for the three of us in Baltimore, which was the nearest big city near my little town of Jarrettsville in northern Maryland. "Hey, you got a drachma on you?" Leo asked his girlfriend,

"No, sorry, why do you need one?" she questioned

"Iris message, duh" he said as though it were so obvious. "All of the guys at Half-Blood still think I'm dead!" A couple days later, he found one in a fountain and waited a couple more days so that he could use it when nobody was around, that is no easy feat in the city. So that's what's going on, and the reason why I am reluctantly sitting in Starbucks waiting to meet Leo's friends whom he had saved the earth with.

"LEO" a group of people that had just walked in yelled.

They had arrived.


	2. Chapter 2

For people who were glad to see that their friend had survived unlikely circumstances, they sure don't mind squeezing the life out of him. It's easy to say that I am intimidated by these newcomers, because I am. Though I have only known Leo and Calypso for a week or so, they are the closest thing I have to friends, and these people obviously knew them better. That particularly applied to Leo, as Calypso and I were left to our coffee while the guy was bombarded with questions. I noticed a worried look on her face "hey" I said, "What's up?" She regarded me nervously as though she wasn't sure she could trust me,

"That guy over there with the black hair and green eyes, I used to- never mind" I shot her an inquisitive and pleading look because the ever-so calm and collected goddess was worried and had certainly captivated my attention. "Well I used to have a crush on that guy", she glared at me like she expected me to think less of her. Truth is I felt bad for her, based on what I had heard from her life before her knight in shining armor came along- she didn't get out much.

"Well I don't know about these folks, but I know you and Leo are a pretty darn good match so his loss." I said hoping to ease her nerves. Perhaps though, I should not have said that while looking directly at the guy. He leaned over and quietly exchanged words with Leo, then walked over to me.

"Hi" he greeted with a grin, "Percy Jackson, nice to meet you." And he extended his hand, which I shook. I guess he hadn't been paying attention to mine and Calypso's conversation about him. "Who's your godly parent?" He said, trying to strike up a conversation.

"Oh, um. . . I don't know" I admitted, "Your guess is as good as mine" The rest of the group of new people had all gathered around our table now, observing me.

"Well what are you good at?" A blonde dude with glasses asked me, I thought for a moment and then frowned and shrugged.

"Anything about you that seems weird to other people?" A very pretty girl with her arm around the blonde guy asked. _I guess Percy is the only one who's got some common courtesy _I thought to myself _is it interrogate Andrew day or something?_

"Nothing comes to mind really" I stated plainly, "I'm Andrew by the way"

"Jason" said blondie

"Piper" blondie's girl greeted

"Annabeth" a girl with her hand in Percy's introduced herself with a smile

"And" Leo started, "Frank and Hazel are over there in line." He pointed out a big Asian looking guy and a girl with dark skin and eyes like her name. "Alright so back to your godly parent-"

"-W-wait" I stuttered "how do you guys know one of my parents was a god?"

"I sensed it when we first met you" Calypso explained, "You radiate a warm happy aura" she went on, "If that helps you all" she said, gesturing to the group who were all still fixated on me.

"So are you a good mechanic?" Leo asked

"Nope"

"Can you breathe under water?" Percy ventured

"I wish" I admitted, they continued to talk but I wasn't listening. The Kenny Chesney song 'American Kids' came on and it calmed me down for a moment. If there was anything in the world that mattered to me, it was music. I'd give up the few worldly possessions I have just to get a guitar for myself. It was something I fell in love with during a music class they offered at one of my schools.

". . . Earth to Andrew" Leo said

"Oh- I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention" I apologized

"You actually like this country junk?" Leo looked appalled

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I do" I retorted "I think it's pretty fun to strum" Everybody looked at me and there was a silence that followed. "What?" I wondered aloud.

"So you're a musical guy huh?" Piper implied

"Sure, I can play string instruments fairly well, plus the harmonica, the drums. . ." I trailed off

"You're Apollo's kid no doubt!" Percy proclaimed happily. _Apollo- like the space shuttles? _I quickly thought to myself. But that couldn't be it, the Greek gods came way before America and the NASA program. That isn't music related at all anyway, and I had never even given thought to my natural ability to know how to play any instrument well. _Interesting, I wonder what other talents I may discover _I thought to myself with uncontrollable excitement.

"So what's this Apollo fella like?" I asked to no one in particular, knowing I would receive an answer from one of the gang.

"Well he's very musically inclined" Annabeth began, _me_

"He's an awful liar- being the god of truth of course" Calypso continued where Annabeth had left off, _also me_

"But let's hope that if we are right about your parenthood, that being obsessed with Haikus isn't genetic" Percy finished. Everyone went into hysterics after that part, apparently my so-called dad spewed poetry like nobody else.

"But guys I'm nothing spe-"I was cut off by a bright symbol just appeared out of this air above my head, a gray owl. Then it was gone in a flash, as thought it had never been there at all. Strangely, no one seemed to notice this phenomenon except for our table. They had mixed looks of confusion, wonder, and giddy excitement from one Annabeth. "Wha?" I tried to collect myself

"Ahh, should've guessed it"

"The gray eyes"

"Dang, I thought I knew it!" Everyone was confusing me beyond what state I had been in before. What happened next helped but also confused me a tad more. I was smothered in a bear hug and Annabeth proudly deemed me

"Brother!"


	3. Chapter 3

_Brother_

It was just a word, but it was a word that never applied to me. The way that this girl looked at me, hugged me, spoke to me. It just left me feeling elated, I didn't know how to respond and even though I just met her I wanted to tell her that I'd always be there for her and I love her because I never had any family before. _New sister, pretty cool one too, don't scare her off already_ I scolded myself.

"Oh my gods, what is your favorite subject in school?" Annabeth had been firing off questions one after the other and this was the only one that broke into my thoughts for whatever reason.

"A while ago, it definitely would have been music" I told her, she looked disappointed. "But more recently I took a few classes on architecture, particularly modern, and really enjoyed it"

"Oh brother" Percy exhaled, and he wasn't the only one who seemed to foresee Annabeth's absolute overreaction to what was apparently just the answer she had been hoping for.

"NO WAY" my new sibling looked scarily ecstatic and even that seemed like an understatement describing her at the moment "We are going to design and plan and we can bunk together! Oh I bet you're a knife kind of guy- like me and . . ." _Forget me scaring her off_ I assured myself _this girl was sticking with me- for better or worse_. Standing next to her, I could most certainly see common traits between us. Though my hair is brown, our eyes are the same stormy gray, and I'm a little taller. It was clear we had the same facial construction- if that makes any sense.

I was prepared to embrace this new part of my life, and hopefully it would be the only remaining part of it. But, unfortunately and my mind flirted with thoughts of an adventurous future, the present made itself much more important. I watched in awe as a pack of dogs strode the street right outside the coffee shop, right towards us. _Well, that is if you would call those dogs_ I thought to myself, they were the size of a full-grown horse and wherever they stepped the ground would ignite and they left dying embers in their path. These beasts leapt through the window and knocked me to the ground, the biggest one decided to make me lunch. But as it was about to clamp it razor-sharp incisors into my throat it was gone with a loud _shink!_ Followed by a soft _poof_ and the last conscious sight I had was gold dust falling around me.

I looked around from the bed I laid in at the absolutely serene place I had found myself in. _This has to be heaven_ I told myself "pretty unusual ending to a pathetic life" I said aloud. It was hard to focus on that with my surroundings, it looked like a medieval infirmary but so much cleaner. I heard footsteps and voices nearing as three individuals walked through the archway at the entrance. It was Annabeth and Percy with an extremely attractive blonde girl. "Are you guys dead too?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"Aw Andrew you aren't dead, you've just been out for a couple days." _A couple days? _Wow, wake-up call.

"How much do you remember?" Percy inquired with a worried look.

"Well" I began as I mentally retraced my steps from that eventful day. "I was having coffee with Leo and Callie, then you guys and some others showed up and the owl thing and Annabeth was talking about architecture." She blushed and looked away when I mentioned that, "then those huge fiery dogs attacked us." I tried to sit up _woo buddy slow your roll _I was blinded with pain in my head, I thought I was about to go back under. It must have been obvious that I wasn't exactly feeling up to par because the other girl offered my some weird fudgey-looking squares and said

"Eat some, it'll help with the pain." Well I wasn't going to disobey anyone who said they could diminish the pounding headache I had. So I took a bite and began to tear up because the taste brought back wonderful memories.

"What is it?" Annabeth asked me. I looked at her with glistening eyes and then wiped the salty droplets off of my face.

"There was this pretzel shop in the mall near some houses I had lived in." I started, "And I used to sit outside with a hat at my feet sitting on a bench playing guitar for those passing by." I smiled as I reminisced one of the few high points of my childhood. "One day I went there to play and it had been a while since I had been there. As I was setting up, an older man walked over to me and said 'where you been?'" I told the three of them who seemed very intrigued by my little story. "I told him that it was hard to come very often anymore because the foster homes I lived in for those past months were pretty far away from the mall. He introduced himself as Tom, the owner of the pretzel shop and made me an offer that I gladly accepted." I said with a smile, "He said 'if you keep on playing your songs, there will be a pretzel and lemonade with your name on it every day'." I finished

"Well then I bet I know what this will taste like" the blonde girl said as she handed me a shot glass with purple liquid inside. I examined it and the sipped it, then a smile crept onto my face, _the lemonade. _

"What is this stuff?" I asked in amazement.

"Ambrosia and nectar- the food and drink of the gods" she said, "I'm Summer by the way, I've been taking care of you" Summer said with a flash of her beautiful smile and a wink of her stunning blue eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

"_I'm Summer by the way, I've been taking care of you"_

"Well what in the world could I have done to deserve attention from a girl like you?" I asked, wishing I could eat those words. _Right, because that's the reputation you want… some sleaze-ball who hits on nurses before introducing himself. _Although, she was just in an orange tee and shorts, not exactly synonymous with lab coats and stethoscopes you might find on a nurse in a regular hospital. _This isn't even a hospital _I reminded myself, though I must be alive because I can feel some undeniable pain just about everywhere.

"Oh… I just…" she stuttered out in between giggles as her face filled with color. So maybe the flirting wasn't the worst idea, she didn't seem to mind it. I looked over at Percy and Annabeth, he looked proud as though he had taught me to say that. She, on the other hand was not pleased with those risky words that I had just uttered.

"Maybe we should leave you two alone" Percy said with a smirk "Ow! Totally unnecessary Wise Girl", he complained as he rubbed his shoulder where she whacked him with the flat of the blade of her knife.

"Maybe I-" I was cut off as my half-sister dragged me out of the bed by my forearm. _Maybe not-so sincere _"Goodness gracious what was that for?" I asked incredulously, we were a good twenty feet from Summer and Percy now that Annabeth had separated us from them.

"She has a boyfriend you idiotic lover boy!" she whispered forcefully like most people do when they are having an angry private conversation. "He's an Ares kid and would make quick work of you" she said with a sense of superiority. I was trying hard to think of what to say but the combination of emotional distress and extreme head rush from getting up too fast made me collapse to my knees. I held my head in my hands and tried to collect my bearings. "Hey" Annabeth said quietly, "I'm sorry" she said apologetically. I looked into those stormy gray eyes and felt a little better because they were so familiar. "I wasn't even thinking about how overwhelming this all must be for you, and hopefully you won't see me as your annoying, nagging sister." She said with a sigh, I looked at her and flashed a weak smile.

"No, I'm glad to finally have someone to care about me" I admitted, "But I won't try to tell you that all of this isn't giving me a serious headache- because it is." I confided in her, she gave me a reassuring smile and then her eyes widened and she looked behind her and then right back at me.

"Well if you're happy to have _me_, then just wait 'til you meet your other new siblings" she said cheerfully. She gave me a hug and then helped me onto my feet, I had my arm around her for support as we walked back to Percy and Summer. I caught the end of the conversation they were having as we neared them. Summer was concentrating intently on whatever Percy was saying.

"… Trust me sunshine, Athena kids are the way to go." I heard him finish saying to her with a wink. She was blushing really hard and looked deep in thought.

"Hey guys, I'm going to take Andrew down to our cabin so he can meet the rest of his new brothers and sisters" Annabeth informed the two, "See you at dinner", she gave her boyfriend a quick peck and we headed towards the cabin area.

Cabins 1, 2, 8, and 13 were all empty and I wondered why. Cabin 6 was dedicated to Athena, my mom, and dang she must be a neat freak. I can't ever keep my room straight, so I figured a cabin that slept twenty-plus kids would be a pig sty. Boy was I wrong, everybody kept to their space and kept it clean-that is, except for my escort. Annabeth's bunk was littered with sketches, blueprints, and coffee cups probably from late nights working on architecture. "You can take the top bunk" she offered, I climbed up the short ladder on the side of the wooden frame and fell onto my bed-which was very comfy.

"Do you mind if I nap for a little while?" I asked hopefully

"Aw fine, just try not to sleep through dinner" she said reluctantly. And with that, I shut my eyes and drifted off not soon after Annabeth walked out of the door.


End file.
